United Nations Development Programme in the Arab States

Signing of "emergency capacity development facility" project document, Ould Cheikh Ahmed: this is an important step to confirm our support to the needs of transition

12 May 2012

Sana’a - A signing ceremony of “Emergency Capacity Development Facility” project document was held today in Sana’a, between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) , and the Government of Yemen (GoY), represented by the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation (MoPIC).

The USD 8.5 million project starts on May 2012, and will last until the end of transition on 31 December 2012.

The project aims to provide logistical and technical support to the key local entities such as Presidential Office, Prime Minister’s Office, Ministries of Planning and International Cooperation, Finance, Human Rights, Trade and Industry, Consultative Committees of the National Dialogue, and the Secretariat of the National Dialogue, to implement the Gulf Countries Council (GCC) Initiative Implementation Mechanism, signed in Riyadh on 23 November 2011, as well as to support the Government in implementing its Transitional Period Plan (2012 – 2014).

According to the Project Document, the project will extend support to Presidential and Prime Minister Offices, on one hand, to improve their capacities to steer the political processes according to the GCC Initiative Implementation Mechanism, and on another hand, to help them guide other government institutions to provide a better services to the Yemeni people, in systematic and efficient ways.

The project will also support the capacity building efforts in central government institutions, namely the Ministries of Planning and Finance, to implement their plans during the Transitional Period, and build an effective partnership with the International Community to support Yemen. This will be done by the perpetrations of “Friends of Yemen” Meetings, Consultative Group Meetings, and the follow-up on the meetings’ recommendations.

Moreover, the project will provide the needed support to the Ministry of Trade and Industry to undertake economical assessments during the Transition. The assessments will evaluate the economical situations, and find proper solutions to improve both economy and livelihoods. The project will also support the Ministry of Human Rights, as the focal point of facilitating youth’s participation in the National Dialogue Conference.

Mr. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, UNDP Yemen Resident Representative, has confirmed UNDP’s support to the government and people of Yemen, to improve people’s livelihoods by strengthening these institutions’ performance on one hand, and creating an enabling environment to implement the GCC Plan, on another.

Mr. Ould Cheikh Ahmed also confirmed UNDP’s commitment to align its Country Programme Action Plan with the needs of the Transitional Period, particularly in the areas of national dialogue, democratic governance, early recovery, role of law and security sector’s reform, and others. He described the signing as: “an important step to confirm this support”.

The project document was signed by Mr. Mohammed Al-Saidi, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, and Mr. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, UNDP Yemen Resident Representative.

The ceremony was attended by Mr. Gustavo Gonzalez, UNDP Senior Country Director, Mr. Wael Zakout, World Bank Representative, officials from GoY and UNDP, and others.